Recent reviews by Ichbin

Just as bad as the main game. Bethesda is done.

There's two ways you can play this game:

1 - Bounce from POI to POI. Collecting food and drink as you go. Go straight to caves to collect needed items. Kill mutants, beat game, done.

or

2 - Try to actually build something, and play like it's a survival game.
Get harassed by locals. Stop to kill. Killing needs calories, so eat and drink. Go collect logs. Get harassed by locals. Repeat past steps 8-10 times, until ugly log cabin is built. Go get canteen, hunt food, get harassed by locals. Kill cannibals, burn bodies, get harassed. Stop, burn bodies, kill cannibals. Burn bodies, collect logs, kill cannibals, etc, etc, etc...

Actually trying to enjoy the game's survival mechanics is the most unfun and monotonous activity I've ever experienced, in a game. Which is a shame, because the game is so beautiful. AND NO, I DONT WANT TO TURN OFF ENEMIES. It's part of the game. It just doesnt need to be this excessive. Hell, the enemies aren't difficult, AT ALL. It's the constant pestering while you're just trying to enjoy what the game offers you to make.
It literally forces you to just... do the story, and thats it. The game rewards you for just cave hopping. It gives you endless supplies and you never get harassed, coz you're never in one place long enough.

I really wanted this game to be fun, but it just isnt. It's very thematic, ominous, and sometimes breathtaking. None of that matters, though, if all your game mechanics are designed to push you into content. Let me decide when I want to do stuff. Don't send your endless hordes of respawning mobs at me. It's a really dumb system that ultimately ruins the game, for me.

Ark + Breath of the Wild + Pokemon

If any of those three speak to you, then you'll have a fun time.

This game is death, by a thousand cuts. Great concept, and platform to build on, but ultimately disappointing in all fields.

- Terrible & ugly looking NPCs.
- No real travel. Just teleporting to places.
- The writing & world, is ultra safe and family friendly. Don't count on anything stimulating.
- Overall design, and style of things feel like it was done by tired old men and fat cat ladies.

Ultimately, Bethesda (once again) needs their modding community to put any sort of fun, or thrill in the game. It's an ocean as deep as a puddle, and the whole thing is the definition of "mediocre".

Description:
Legacy of Kain & League of Legends had a child, and taught them how to build.

The constant search for materials will override your never ending thirst for blood. Sure, combat is sickenly fun, but who cares about that when you can pimp out your Keep! Cover it in so many paintings, and gargoyles that your man-servant's arms will fall off.

Pros:
Addictive material & power collecting
Actually feel like a Vampire (The sun is DEATH, and garlic stinks)
Interesting blood mechanic (Find the purist blood to buff yourself)
Varied amount of enemies to keep combat fresh

Cons:
Be prepared to walk away sometimes. Between waiting for the Sun to go away, or mats to refine.
Combat makes me feel like I just played Dragon Song on guitar.
Early Access blues. You know the drill.

Otherwise, with the hopes of more upon completion, an 8/10.

Back 4 Blood is not a spiritual successor of Left 4 Dead. More of a shell, or shadow of it. For those fresh to the 4p co-op zombie killing experience, you may actually enjoy it. However, it's not without it's merits.

Improvements:
Running, Jumping, Climbing all feel engaging, and important
Card Deck system can bring some randomized flavor
Gun mods and Copper (in game money) brings new reasons to explore
Myriad of choices for weapons

Negatives:
Characters feel like flat archetypes, vying for your affection with goofy terrible writing
Maps are unintuitive and short. Leaving you wanting more, or not knowing where to go
Special Infected feel like meat shields, despite having "weak points". Making you feel a bit cheated when they get a free hit.
Aiming is a thing of the past, with weapon mods and stats replacing actual skill.

All and all, it can be a fun experience, but feels like a corporate copy of the former games. It's good, but not $60 good...

Really good base for a great game. Could use plenty of improvements, and QoL, but thats Early Access for ya. Is a great party game with your friends, or just plain terrifying by yourself. Definitely worth the small price for a Ghost Hunter Sim experience.

Really pains me to NOT recommend this game. Really hits all the right places in the horror genre. Rewards you for cautious, and methodical thinking. However...

Controls are a bit too sluggish. Shifting camera angles also doesnt help this.
Puzzles & Mini games are misleading, or lack intuitiveness.
Requires you to play on a controller.

Can you play on keyboard & mouse? Sure. But its one of those games where there was minimal effort put towards it. Almost to the point where the game is unplayable.

Like I said. Fantastic concept, and atmosphere, but unplayable for me. Also the overall story isnt very interesting, but I'd like to think the game is good enough to get most ppl past that.

If you liked Castlevania: Symphony of the Night & Aria of Sorrow, this is the game for you!
Pros:
-Large list of weapons & armor pieces
-Broad magic system
-Collect-a-thon
-Can customize look
-Secrets everywhere
-Grind is there, if you want

Cons:
-Only if you don't like Metriodvanias

STAY AWAY!
Backer here. Gave them $80 for an unfinished cash grab of a game. Combat is clunky and uninventive. Loading screens are terribly long, and a plenty. Quest system is needlessly complex with a free talk system that isnt really all that free. The main pull of this game, player housing, is a huge cash grab. Get ready to spend hundreds of dollars if you want a normal plot of land and base Unity furniture. Devs straight up banned me for expressing all this in a very non hostile manner. Richard Garriot is an old hack that started this to take advantage of old gamers with nostalgia in their eyes. Pathetic.